What do you do if you’re in a faculty meeting, and a faculty colleague says something that is off topic, disparaging, or ‘playing devil’s advocate’? Episode 1 of the Advancing Excellence Podcast is here to help provide some strategies for navigating this type of situation.

On the debut episode of the U-M Advancing Excellence Podcast, hosts Mike Liemohn and Kelsey Arras are joined by Dr. Christine Simonian Bean, Associate Director of the CRLT Theater Program. Using the Eight Levers to Shift Climate for Respect and Inclusion, Dr. Bean provides examples of how to navigate dealing with a bad actor, both proactively and reactively.

Featured RISE Climate Case Study: CCS #4 Interrupting a Bad Actor

Christine Simonian Bean (she/her) is the Associate Director of the CRLT Theatre Program and a member of the ADVANCE Program's RISE Committee. Previously, Christine was an Assistant Director for Faculty Programs and Services at Columbia University's Center for Teaching and Learning, and a Graduate Associate at Northwestern University’s Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching. She earned her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 2016. At CRLT, Christine provides strategic direction for the CRLT Theatre Program; integrates programming into college and campus initiatives; and designs, facilitates, and assesses sessions and curricula that promote a more equitable higher education community.

Episode Resources: Eight Levers to Shift Climate for Respect and Inclusion. The Respect in Striving for Excellence (RISE) Committee. (2022, August) University of Michigan ADVANCE Program.

Proactive Microresistance in a Microaggressive World (Cheung, Faculty Focus, 2021)

Disarming racial microaggressions: Microintervention strategies for targets, White allies, and bystanders. (Sue, et al..American Psychologist, 2019)

Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations (Ury, 1993)

Microresistance as a Way to Respond to Microaggressions on Zoom and in Real Life (Cheung, Faculty Focus, 2021)

Find a full episode transcript here.

Enjoyed this episode? Explore more case studies and resources at https://advance.umich.edu/rise/.

Credits:

Hosts: Mike Liemohn, Associate Director, Advance Program & Kelsey Arras, Communications and Project Specialist, ADVANCE Program

Producer: Kelsey Arras, Communications and Project Specialist, ADVANCE Program

Music: WP Norton & So Say We All!

Production Support: Shapiro Library Design Lab